INSTA-HYPED; Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies

ACV is one of those things we’ve all heard is good for us, but does anyone really know why? Or is it like coconut oil with a variety of uses and benefits? What comes to mind when you think of ACV? Is it that yellow bottle of Bragg’s or is it the horrific smell? I used to work with some gals who had this ACV drink daily and I always knew when they were drinking it because it smells like a foot and no matter where I was in the office the stench was dis-gus-ting.

These gummies seem to be a good solution. Every two gummies is the equivalent of 1 shot of ACV and Goli advertises that you’ll taste the apple and not the vinegar.

It was seemingly impossible to find a review of the gummies from anyone who wasn’t sponsored by Goli or at least received the product for me. Enter me, paying $26.60 for my own bottle on their site. I found out after it’s available on well.ca too but I did use an affiliate code so it worked out to be about the same price.

Traditionally used for cleaning and disinfection, it treats lots of nasty shit like nail fungus, lice, warts and ear infections. It has also been linked to lowering cholesterol and blood sugar plus optimizing your gut microbiome (read: a healthier immune system!)

It has been linked to weight loss in some studies believing that it increases feelings of fullness resulting in less calories consumed but that being said, ACV rarely has a noticeable effect on weight (most studies show about 4 lbs over the course of 3ish months). This is a big reason why I was willing to review the product in the first place, it is not marketed as a weight loss supplement and contains no harmful ingredients to decrease bloating (aka: unlike fitness teas, there’s nothing in it that will make me shit myself sideways.)

Goli boosts a formula that is gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, organic and unfiltered. There is other good-for-you ingredients such as beet root and pomegranate. Their site suggests that other beneficial ingredients include carrots and black currant , but the label of the bottle indicate that this is for colouring.

There is also added vitamin B9 and B12 – both linked to reducing stress and anxiety.

Goli is an American brand produced in Canada. It’s not vinegar-y tasting at all, but there is a tartness to it. It does contain citric acid and is palatable. I wouldn’t say it’s delicious, but it’s easy to eat. The texture is… interesting. It’s not chewy like a candy gummy, but rather sticky and soft – like soft jam or an edible someone made themselves at home.

The suggested serving is 1-2 gummies up to 3 times daily (up to 6 daily) – which I found interesting. Every study I found online suggested not exceeding 2 tbsp of ACV a day, but 6 gummies would be 9 tablespoons. I did the happy medium of 3 gummies a day meaning a day would last me less than a month.

Honestly, all I knew about Goli prior to trying it is that their influencer marketing is aggressive, but there’s not much information available on any of their pages on the long term benefits or noticeable improvements (shocking, I know.) This is just my two cents on not just Goli marketing, but marketing like this in general:

I have nothing against influencer marketing because it obviously is part of the reason why I can pay my bills but I am wary of brands who seem to be IG hype brands fuelled by influencers. While I know a handful of friends that have agreed to post for product and chatted with one who ignored their emails. Based off of what they said it seems like most influencers are offered product for post and payment is tied to sales, so their payment is based how many sales they can make, not for the work of their content and the scope of their audience.

For influencers that were contacted through Goli directly the deal was 10% commission, 5% off for your followers. Once you reach 10 sales you earn 15% commission and after 20 sales you earn a $100 bonus. Not saying this isn’t great, but when your paycheque is not based on the quality of the work you put in creating content for a brand but rather how many sales you make that’s when you get people hawking products they don’t really believe in. I know this because there is one influencer that I used to follow that posted the gummies with her affiliate links and codes on IG (stating that this was her fave new thing ever – gag) but later that week I saw her posting on Facebook Marketplace her gummies for sale. Still sealed. Seriously, you don’t know who to trust anymore.*

This kind of marketing isn’t new and definitely not exclusive to the health and wellness space, it’s just the unfortunate nature of influencers looking to make a buck and willing to use vocabulary insinuating weight-loss benefits.

Side note: it’s also super easy for anyone to go to their site and sign up to be a partner for affiliate links. I did it myself to get 5% off of my own purchase and I “earned” 10% commission that I will never be able to get because I need a payout to be more than $10 before they’ll do it.

*Don’t ask me who, I’m not saying. You can do the investigating yourself if you really wanted to know.

This is one of those things that I don’t think hurts to take – like taking a multi-vitamin or any kind of supplement. I will say that I do appreciate that Goli doesn’t make any outlandish promises of miracle cures and quick fixes to what ails you, but rather provides customers with a more convenient and tasty way to incorporate ACV. It’s important to me to not provide coverage (free or paid) to products that prey on those with body insecurities and I’ve seen a variety of body types promoted on their social channels.

I didn’t notice any difference, good or bad tbh. Will I continue to eat the rest of my gummies? Yeah, I paid for them and honestly the bottle will be empty in a few days so I might as well. Will I buy another bottle? Probably not. Being in isolation times (May 3 marked my day 50) I shouldn’t be spending my money on supplements and is there anything else than ease my stress and anxiety really? If you are already consuming ACV regularly and want to try a different form of it, I think it’s worth checking out. Plus it doesn’t smell like a foot so if you want to bring it to the office (after social distancing practices have eased of course) than I would say it’s definitely worth checking out if only for the benefit of your co-workers.